Two-position fleet-through trolley for unloaders



Oct. 31, 1961 H. E. DYKEMAN 3,006,482

TWO-POSITION FLEET-THROUGH TROLLEY FOR UNLOADERS Filed Dec. 10, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 e351? IB'ZZIT 94 INVENTOR. Howard E.Dykeman BY 74 M ATTORNEYSv Oct. 31, 1961 H. E. DYKEMAN TWO-POSITION FLEET-THROUGH TROLLEY FOR UNLOADERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec.

INVENTOR. Howard E. Dykemon United States Patent 3,006,482 TWO-POSITION FLEET-THROUGH TRGLLEY FOR UNLOADERS Howard E. Dykeman, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to Dravo Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Dec. 10, 1958, 821'. No. 779,3 i6 Claims. (Cl. 21281) This invention relates to the art of material handling and is for a bucket type unloader of the type in which the holding cables and bucket opening and closing cables are reeved through sheaves on the bucket, these cables also passing over sheaves in the trolley and known in the art as a fleet-through bucket and trolley. More specifically, this invention relates to a trolley for such unloaders.

In apparatus of this kind, the bucket or other material handling apparatus hangs in one position, as for example the clam shell bucket may have the hinged axis for the two parts transverse to the boom along which the trolley moves, so that when it is lowered into the hold of a ship, it may open and close in a plane extending fore and aft of the ship. However, it may be desirable to turn the bucket 90 so that its plane of opening and closing will be crosswise of the ship.

The present invention has for its principal object to provide in an apparatus of this kind means on the trolley for shifting the position of the cable sheaves without changing their angle relative to the boom for turning the bucket through an arc of 90". Because the angle of the sheaves relative to the boom is always constant, the cables cannot bind or twist, asmay be the case if a turntable were used.

Further objects of my invention are to provide a trolley having a bucket or load-turning mechanism of simple, positive construction, and which in no way interferes or complicates the reeving of the cables. A further object is to provide a unique and simple bumper at the end of the trolley.

These and other objects and advantages are secured by my invention, as will be more fully apparent from the detailed description thereof in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a trolley embodying my invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 with certain parts broken away to more fully disclose the construction;

FIG. 3 is a transverse section in the plane of line III-III of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing the bucket suspended from the trolley;

FIG. 5 is a schematic plan View of the trolley with the sheaves in one position and showing the corresponding position of the bucket;

FIG. 6 is a similar View showing the sheaves shifted to the other range of their movement and showing a plan view of the bucket when the sheaves are so shifted;

FIG. 7 is a top plan View of a bumper arrangement at the end of the trolley, only the end portion of the trolley being shown;

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal section in the plane of line VIIIVIII of FIG. 7;

3,006,482 Patented Oct. 31, 1951 ice FIG. 9 is a transverse vertical section in the plane of line IXIX of FIG. 8; and

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary view of the bumper and torsion bar removed from the trolley.

Referring to the drawings, 2 designates generally the frame of a trolley construction having an axle 3 at one end on which are flanged wheels 4 that ride along a trackway extending longitudinally of the boom which is not shown. At the opposite end of the trolley is a similar axle 5 with wheels 6 thereon, the construction of the two axles being the same. The trolley frame is comprised of a pair of reversely arranged channels 7 and 8 extending along one side of the trolley, and a similar pair of channels 9 and 10 extending along the other side, these channels being secured to cross members 11, by means of which the structure is tied together into an integral rectangular frame.

As shown in FIG. 3, the channels 7 and 8 are in confronting parallel spaced relation with their flanges turned in opposite directions so that their fiat webs are opposed to each other, and the channels 9 and 10 are similarly arranged. In the space between the channels 7 and 8 there is a slidable sheave-carrying frame or carriage comprised of two other similar opposed channels 12 which are substantially shorter than the channels 7 and 8, and in which are mounted two cable sheaves 13 and 14. Supporting ledges or rails 15 are secured along the inner faces of the channels 7 and 8 providing a slideway on which the channels 12 are supported, and along which they can slide.

Between the other two channels 9 and 10 there is a similar carriage or slidable frame comprised of two steel channels 16 in which are mounted two sheaves 17 and 18. Secured to the carriage comprised of the members 12 is an upwardly-extending supporting structure 19 carrying a rack 20 that has teeth on the under face thereof, this rack overhanging the channel 8. Similarly the carriage has a framework 21 secured thereto to which is attached a rack 22 that is below the level of the rack 20, and which has teeth on its upper face. This rack 22 overhangs the frame 10. There is a transverse shaft 23 mounted on supporting plates 24 secured to the carriage, and this shaft has a reversible ratchet handle 25 thereon. At one end of the shaft there is a pinion 26 that engages the rack 20, and on the other end of the shaft 23 there is a pinion 27 that engages the rack 22. The carriage carrying the sheaves 13 and 14 is positioned at one side of the transverse center of the trolley when the slide carrying the sheaves 17 and 18 is at the other side of the transverse center of the trolley, as shown in FIG. 1. If the handle 25 be operated to rotate the shaft 23 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 1, the carriage carrying the sheaves 13 and 14 will be moved to the left as viewed in FIG. 1, while the one carrying the sheaves 17 and 18 will move to the same extent toward the right.

There is a bucket opening and closing cable 28 as shown in FIG. 4 which passes over the sheave 14. It is then reeved through pulleys 29 of the bucket opening and closing mechanism. The bucket and its operating mechanism is only schematically illustrated, and it may be of any usual or preferred construction for buckets of this type. The bucket is designated 30. The cable 28 continues up around the sheave 17 and thence to a point of anchorage at 31. The bucket holding cable 3 32 passes over the sheave 18, is reeved around a sheave 33 for raising and lowering the bucket, and then passes over sheave 13 to a point of anchorage at 34. It will be seen that with the arrangement each cable passes down over a sheave on one side of the trolley and up over the diagonally opposite sheave at the other side.

FIG. 5 shows the relation of the bucket 36 to the trolley 2 when the sheaves are in the position shown in FIG. 1, and shows the approximate axes of the cables leading from the sheaves to the bucket, and it will be seen that in this position of the sheaves relative to the trolley, the jaws of the bucket extend lengthwise of the trolley and the boom on which the trolleywould travel. FIG. 6 shows the relative positions of the parts when the sheavecarrying slides are reversed from the position shown in FIG. 6 to the opposite limits of their travel where the sheaves 13 and 14 are to the left of the transverse center and the sheaves 17 and 18 are to the right of the transverse axis. It will be seen in FIG. 6 that the bucket extends crosswise of the trolley instead of lengthwise as in FIG. 5.

In FIG. 5 the line X-X shows the line about which the axes of the cables are disposed at the top of the trolley, and the line YY shows the disposition of the cables about the diagonal axes at a location between the bucket and the under side of the trolley. In FIG. 6 the line XX corresponds to line XX showing the 90 shift in the direction of the line, and line Y shows the shift that takes place in the position of the cables above the bucket and under the trolley, and it is of course at an angle of 90 to the line YY.

This shifting of the position of the sheaves is an operation that normally does not have to occur frequently, and therefore it is convenient to have a simple ratchet handle 25 for turning the shaft 23 in one direction or the other. This requires that a man stand on the trolley to accomplish this operation, or that he stand on the boom alongside the trolley. A metal plate 11' secured to the channels 7, 8, 9 and provides a platform on which one may stand. However, if remote control is required, this can be accomplished by a reversible electric drive as will be well understood by those skilled in the art, or by other power mechanism. When a hand drive is used a hole is provided at 35 in each end of the two slides which carry the sheaves. Two of these holes will register with two holes in the transverse frame members 11 at the limits of movement of the two slidable sheave carriers, so that a locking pin can be dropped into place to prevent any accidental shifting of the slides after they have been moved into position.

As shown in FIG. 7, one or both ends of the trolley may be provided with bumpers to cushion the shock of the impact when the trolley reaches a limiting abutment at the end of the boom. In FIG. 7 two such bumpers are shown at 35 and 36. They comprise projecting pins which are slidably mounted in bushings 37 on the end member 38 of the trolley frame. The rear ends of both of these pins are bifurcated and pin 35 has its bifurcated end pivotally connected to a lever 39 as clearly shown in FIG. 10. Thelever 39 is fast on a square shaft 49, which shaft has a round bushing 4-1 where it passes through the channel. 10 so that it may rotatein this channel, but the end of the rod 40 remote from the lever 39 is non-rotatably secured at 42 to the channel 8. The rod 49 thus constitutes a torsion bar in that any pressure endwise against the bumper 35 is transmitted through the link 39 to the bar 49, tending to rotate this bar, but since the remote end of the bar is anchored against rotation, the force tends to twist the bar and thereby absorb the shock. The bumper 36 has its inner end similarly secured to a link 43 on a sqnareshaft 4%) which is rotatable in channel 8, but which has its end remote from the lever anchored to the channel it). at 44. V 7

From the foregoing description it will be seen that my invention provides a trolley of simple construction having sheaves to. accommodate the cables, and that by longitudinal movement of the cables relatively to each other and to the trolley, the relation of the cables can be changed so as to rotate the bucket through an arc of It will be noted that while the bucket is thus rotated the sheaves always remain parallel to each other and their angle with respect to the lengthwise horizontal reaches of the cables is always the same so that extra guides for the cables or the possibility of fouling which exists where a turntable is used are eliminated and the structure is very much simplified. The invention further provides a simple but effective bumper arrangement to absorb the shock when the trolley comes against an abutment at its limit of travel.

While I have shown and described a simple embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the construction within the contemplation of my invention and under the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a material handling apparatus, a fleet-through trolley and bucket arrangement comprising a trolley, a bucket having sheaves for separate hold and close cables, the trolley having a main frame, a sheave-carrying frame slidably mounted in the main frame at one side of the longitudinal axis of the main frame for relative longitudinal movement in the main frame, a second sheavecarrying frame slidably mounted in the main frame at the other side of said longitudinal axis for relative longitudinal movement in the main frame, a pair of longitudinally-spaced sheaves in each of said sheave-carrying frames, a hold cable passing around one sheave on one sheave-carrying frame, thence around a sheave on the bucket and then around the diagonally-opposed sheave of the other sheave-carrying frame, a close cable passing around the other sheave in the first sheave-carrying frame, then around a sheave on the bucket and then around the diagonally opposite sheave of the other sheave-carrying frame, means for positioning the two sheave-carrying frames at relatively opposite limits of their travel in the main trolley frame and for simultaneously shifting them in opposite directions to the opposite limits of their travel in the main frame whereby to elfect rotation of the bucket about its vertical axis through a limited are.

2. Material handling apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which the last-named means comprises a common operating member on the main frame having toothed elements engaging racks attached to the sheave-carrying frames, the racks and toothed elements on one sheave-carrying frame'being operatively reversed to such elements for the other sheave-carrying frame. 7

3. Material handling apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which the main frame has two structural frame members in confronting spaced relation at each side of and parallel with the longitudinal axis of themain frame, the two structural frame members defining a slideway between them, the sheave-carrying frames with their sheaves being positioned in and, movable along said slideways.

4. Material handling apparatus of the class described comprising a trolley frame, a bumper extending forwardly from the end of the frame and slidably mounted in said front end, a torsion bar extending crossvw'se of the frame having one end free to rotate and the other end anchored to the frame, and a lever fixed on the torsion bar and pivotally connected to the bumper whereby reciprocating movement of the bumper transmits a turning torque to the torsion bar.

5. A hoist. comprising a trackway, a trolley movable along the trackway, a pair of frames on the trolley movable in the direction of travel of the trolley relatively to each other and to the trolley, each frame being shorter than the trolley, 'a pair of sheaves on each frame, the frames being movable froma position where the sheaves at one side of the frame may be moved in either direction past the transverse center of the trolley andthe sheaves onthe frame at the other side of the trolley may be similarly moved past the transverse center, a cable passing over a sheave on one frame at one side of the trolley and over another sheave on the frame at the opposite side of the trolley with a depending loop between the two sheaves over which it passes, a second cable passing over the other sheave of one frame and the other sheave of the other frame with 21 depending loop between the two sheaves over which it passes, a load-handling means having a sheave through which one cable loop passes for raising and lowering said load-handling means, said loadhandling means having other sheaves through which the other cable loop passes to control the retention or release of a load in the load-carrying means, means for simultaneously shifting one of said frames relative to the other and to the trolley to position the sheaves of the respective frames at opposite sides of the transverse center of the trolley and thereby efiect a 90 rotation of the loadhandling means, and means for moving the trolley along the trackway.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 808,493 Titcomb Dec. 26, 1905 870,812 Andresen Nov. 12, 1907 1,644,770 Borkes Oct. 11, 1927 FOREIGN PATENTS 192,546 Great Britain Feb. 8, 1923 

